Frequently Asked Questions About Our Firm

By Carol Dillon

We often get the same preliminary questions when taking a new case or talking with a new client, regardless of the type of case and client. Therefore, here are some of our answers to frequently asked questions:

1. Will you or an associate be working on this case?
Answer: This question is obviously posed to one of the partners. The answer is a partner and associate work on every case, but the client is almost always charged for only one attorney’s time. Every case at Sweetin & Bleeke is assigned to a Partner and an Associate. Whether the Partner or Associate does the majority of the work on the case largely depends on the type of case. However, if the Associate primarily handles the file, every major pleading and correspondence to the client or opposing counsel (i.e. formal status reports) go through the Partner before it goes out the door. That is, the Associate may draft the pleading or correspondence, but the Partner reviews it and discusses it with the Associate to make sure everyone is on the same page. We also have scheduled meetings to roundtable cases, particularly high-exposure cases, to get the input of all of the attorneys in the office. If the client wants a Partner or Associate to do a particular part of the case, the client has every right to specify that.

2. What areas of the State do you practice?
Answer: Because Indianapolis is the central part of Indiana, we cover the entire State. The longest travel time in the State is to Evansville, IN, which can take anywhere from 3-4 hours. It takes approximately 2 hours to reach either the eastern or western border of the State, and approximately 3 to 3.5 hours to make it to the northern tips of the State. While there are good attorneys to be found in Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville, most Indianapolis attorneys cover every part of the State.

3. How many attorneys are in your office?
Answer: We have 8 attorneys. Two partners, four associates, and two Of Counsel. To see more information about our attorneys, check out their profiles.

4. What is the turnaround time on transactions?
Answer: It depends (isn’t that everyone’s favorite stock answer from an attorney?). It really does depend. While it is certainly possible to give the client an accurate time frame for a particular case or task, it really does depend on opposing counsel, the venue, and the judge. A case that seems very straight forward and simple can be assigned to a judge or particular court that loses filings, post-pones hearings, and takes forever to issue an order; or you can have an opposing counsel that creates a battle over the minutest of details. On the other hand, a case that may seem like it will require a lot of discovery and pre-trial motions can be done quickly if opposing counsel is not adversarial and the judge is efficient. While we are happy to give time estimates (as well as cost estimates), there are just too many factors that we cannot control that can affect how a case proceeds.